Isuzu 6BD1

[Deanooo]

Has anyone heard of or experienced the Isuzu 6BD1 in a Californian 42. I hear that they are a great engine but lack horsepower. I'm still looking for my Californian.

[Deanooo]

Oh ya. One more thing. Has anyone shipped their Californian by land. If so, could you line me up with a good agency for California. Any stories of shipping would be great.

[Edelweiss]

Originally Posted by Deanooo

Has anyone heard of or experienced the Isuzu 6BD1 in a Californian 42. I hear that they are a great engine but lack horsepower. I'm still looking for my Californian.

No, 42's came with either a pair of Perkins 185's or Cat 3208's 210 hp and up. Seen a couple with Cummins 225 hp. one was quite nice, the other was done poorly and they made a mess of the engine room.

Isuzu would be a aftermarket replacement, but do you know the horsepower rating of the engine?

[Deanooo]

Not sure of the hp Edelweiss. The spec sheet doesn't give that info. They DO claim the they get under 2.5 gph. So I'm guessing on the low hp.

[Deanooo]

My research shows the the Isuzu 6BD1-turbo has 175 hp and they are 5.7 litres. How that equates to non- turbo is the mystery for me. I have been in the engine room and it is spotless. It has a recently logged long range successful cruising history.

[Ski in NC]

A 5.7liter without a turbo is going to be around 120hp.

Agreed, Isuzu is good stuff.

[Edelweiss]

Originally Posted by Deanooo

My research shows the the Isuzu 6BD1-turbo has 175 hp and they are 5.7 litres. How that equates to non- turbo is the mystery for me. I have been in the engine room and it is spotless. It has a recently logged long range successful cruising history.

Dean
I suppose they have different options for the HP rating of the Isuzu 6BD1, like most engines. The non turbo version for that engine, that I found, indicated a horsepower rating of 142 HP, which is close to the N/A Perkins of 130 - 135 HP.

"The 6BD1 marine engine featured an inline, six-cylinder design. The pistons had a total displacement of 5,785 cc. The maximum power output measured 142 horsepower at 2,800 rpm, and the total torque output measured 289 foot-pounds at 1,600 rpm. The bore by stroke measured 4.02 by 4.63 inches, and the compression ratio measured 17.5:1"

You're looking at trawler speeds at that HP, with an upper range limit of about 10 knots with the 42' hull. It will most likely run all day at an easy cruise of 8.5 - 9 knots without too much trouble. The boat would be quite a bit slower than the 3208 Cat version. But in the big picture of things, not a big deal unless you want/need the top end speeds. At 1000 lbs it's about 25% lighter than the Perkins.

I would find other people who have this engine and ask questions about overall life of the engine, parts availability and cost. Parts for imported engines can be expensive and difficult to find after the engine manufacture abandons that design. Especially marinized parts like exhaust manifolds and risers.
Keep us posted!
Larry B

[Nomad Willy]

When I lived in the Queen Charolette Islands in the early 70s I knew a fellow there that built his own boat and then hired out as a patrol boat for Canadian Fisheries patrol services. He installed a new 6 cyl Isuzu and I wonder if it's a descendant to the 6BD1? He said most of the repowered fish boats had that engine.

When I went shopping for a new engine for Willy I found the company that supplied those many fish boats in Canada and also Alaska. The reputation for the company (Klassen) and the Isuzu engine was legendary. Was moving to Alaska at the time so their excellent service to the fishing fleet a positive thing. Because of the gaps in engine sizing I didn't get an Isuzu but the Mitsubishi I did buy has been perfect.

[Underway]

Originally Posted by Deanooo

Has anyone heard of or experienced the Isuzu 6BD1 in a Californian 42. I hear that they are a great engine but lack horsepower. I'm still looking for my Californian.

Don't know about the earlier engines except that the 6BD1 is the six cylinder variant of the ubiquitous 4BD1. Both of these engines are listed in the MESA catalogue...so a truck engine could be marinized without too much trouble. I had a later intercooled turbo 4 in an NPR truck and loved it. Believe it was 4.7 litres and 175 HP. Now that would be a fine retrofit engine for a semi displacement twin....but don't believe it was ever marinized. Anyway, the six was used in a variety of trucks back in the day. Give it a google.

[Deanooo]

Glad to hear positive reflections on these engines. They were definitely marinized but are in good working order with approximately 2500 hrs on each. Edelweiss has me concerned about the cost of replacing parts. I'll have to dig deeper.

[Nomad Willy]

Deanooooo,
Is the exhaust manifold steel?
If so it's probably a Klassen.

[Deanooo]

Originally Posted by manyboats

Deanooooo,
Is the exhaust manifold steel?
If so it's probably a Klassen.

I don't know. So far I can only speak on what they offer on the spec sheet. I looked at this boat back in December and didn't go that deep in my initial walk about. Would a Klassen help me?

[TG]

Originally Posted by Deanooo

Oh ya. One more thing. Has anyone shipped their Californian by land. If so, could you line me up with a good agency for California. Any stories of shipping would be great.

I haven't shipped one but I saw this 42 LRC on a low boy at a little diner off interestate 5 near Woodland, WA.

[Deanooo]

Originally Posted by TG

I haven't shipped one but I saw this 42 LRC on a low boy at a little diner off interestate 5 near Woodland, WA.

Nice. Thanks for sending that. I have to find someone in California to do it. My broker is looking into it but I think he's dragging his feet. I'll call around.

[Edelweiss]

Originally Posted by TG

I haven't shipped one but I saw this 42 LRC on a low boy at a little diner off interestate 5 near Woodland, WA.

NICE!! Love that squatting lowboy trailer. Saves taking that flybridge off.

Did it have stainless hand rails all the way around or the traditional teak on the back half of the boat. Hard to tell from the picture, even blowing it up.

[TG]

Originally Posted by Edelweiss

NICE!! Love that squatting lowboy trailer. Saves taking that flybridge off.

Did it have stainless hand rails all the way around or the traditional teak on the back half of the boat. Hard to tell from the picture, even blowing it up.

It still had all the teak. Most of it was painted white.

[mysticdreamer]

I have one in my boat..175hp wturbo.its been a great motor no problems with over 8000 hrs on it